Ask Amy: Teen girl judges others, wants to change
She is the most generous person I know.
Recently she retired and is now traveling with her three dogs.
When she’s in town she assumes that she can stay with us for a week or two.
After she has been with us, it takes us a whole day to de-dog the house.
Honestly, I can’t do it anymore — especially since one of the dogs is now prone to accidents. I definitely can’t handle that!
How do I tell her that her dogs can’t stay with us without throwing away our friendship?
— Dreading the Dogs
Dear Dreading: Bringing three dogs to anyone’s home for an extended stay is a huge lift, but if these dogs are older and infirm, your friend is not going to leave them behind.
It’s important that you be honest about this. Understand that this will affect your friendship because she will stop visiting you.
I suggest that you tell her, “This is really hard for me to say because I treasure your visits — but I just can’t handle having the dogs with us. Can you help me to come up with an alternative?”
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